


Taro

by dabs_to_exo



Category: Star Trek
Genre: A RARE MOMENT, M/M, Pre-Slash, once more everyone is drunk, spock sings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 11:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10333184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dabs_to_exo/pseuds/dabs_to_exo
Summary: Preview: “Come on, Spock, I know you hobgoblins have a song or two for you to whip out!!” Bones insisted.Spock and the crew are drinking. Spock sings a song. Jim is enraptured. Short, sweet, written in an hour instead of studying for my English exam tomorrow. Please enjoy!Based off the song Taro by Alt-j I highly recommend it!!!





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I LIE in this and say the song Taro is by a Vulcan who is emotionally compromised but like I said in the summary it is by Alt-j (an amazing band who I can barely understand) but the rest of the information is true!   
> Also I don't know that much about Vulcans so I am sorry if I say something wrong?? Please comment if you got something to say I appreciate it a lot!!!!   
> If you can't tell I love using repitition and will use it until I die!!  
> Thank you for reading kiddos
> 
> P.s. this is unedited and unread by another... so all mistakes are courtesy of this dummy (me)

“Come on, Spock, I know you hobgoblins have a song or two for you to whip out!!” Bones insisted. 

 

It started as many of Jim's notable stories do: the group was drinking.   
Bones was the first to start singing, mysteriously pulling out a guitar that no one knew he had. He sang a boastful and rather inappropriate tune of a leaping frog, with a repetitive chorus that by the end of the song, the rest of the group was singing along jovially. Even Spock, who had allowed himself to relax (as much as Spock could) over the duration of the night.  
Scotty was next, a folk song his nan had taught him, his voice thick but he kept a beat with his boot as the group clapped along.

When the guitar was held to Spock, he turned a pale shade of green as the group cheered. The cheering became louder as Spock took the guitar gingerly, and held it against him. He almost looked almost nervous as he tuned the strings, and looked up at Jim when he was done.  
The wide eyes of excitement that met him told him he absolutely had to play along.

“This isn’t a ‘happy’ song as is your drinking custom, I must warn.” Spock said, his fingers immediately finding and resting on the first chords.   
Scotty let out a barking laugh.   
“We don’t fucking care, all we wanna do is see you actually do it!”  
Jim shot Spock a reassuring smile, before Spock turned to Uhura.  
“Nyota, you are aware of this song.” His eyes gazed out at his companions. “I wish to give you a preamble to this song. Vulcans, as a culture, and as you are all aware, forgo emotions in favor of logic. However, there have been several periods of time in which there have been Vulcans expressing emotion through producing art. Typically occurring during dire times in the community or in personal life. Famine, war, death. The typical medium of expression during this time is music because, for reasons I will not explain tonight, is the most logical outlet.”  
The hazy eyes of Ensign Chekov widened suddenly and focused on Spock.  
“We of course, have always produced music, but this kind of music is… different. Created solely to express emotion. This particular piece is entitled Taro. It is of two humans from your history, yet the author used their story as a front to tell his own. This is also the reason why the song is in standard, not Vulcan. Taro is the name of a female photographer who had died, and Capa is the name of her lover, also a photographer. This song is of his death, as he died in a war fatally injured by a hidden mine. In his last moments, he is once more reunited with his lover.”  
The whole room was silent, their eyes fixed on Spock. 

 

As he began to strum the guitar, he hummed as quietly as he could.  
Without having to ask, Uhura sang with him.  
“Indochina,   
Capa jumps Jeep, two feet creep up the road”  
The guitar was easy to play, and the chords echoed in the room. It felt similar to an extension of Spock’s body, rather than a musical instrument.

“To photo, to record, meat lumps and war  
They advance as does his chance, oh, oh  
Very yellow white flash!”  
The last exclamation felt almost too loud in the silent room. Uhura set a beat with her fist against her chair and her foot upon the ground. Once Scotty recognized the pattern, he joined in.

“A violent wrench grips mass, rips light, tears limbs like rags  
Burst so high finally Capa lands  
Mine is a watery pit  
Painless with immense distance  
From medic from colleague, friend, enemy, foe, him five yards from his leg  
From you Taro  
Oh, oh, oh”  
Uhura and Spock’s voiced matched well, and Spock fixed his eyes on Jim as he sang. The voices swelled and got louder and louder, before quieting again before the next lyric.

“Do not spray into eyes   
I have sprayed you into my eyes”  
As he sang, Spock reflected on the last time he had sang these lyrics. It was to himself after his mother had died. His father had told him something very jarring in private.   
‘I know it is illogical-but I cannot help but wish I had gone with her, if not in her place.’  
Spock tried to block that memory from his mind, and focused on Jim’s blond eyelashes.

“Three ten Pm Capa pends death,   
quivers, last rattles, last chokes  
All colors and cares glaze to grey  
Shriveled and stricken to dots  
The left hand grasps what the body grasps not oh, oh   
Le photographie est mort  
Three point one four one five, alive no longer my amour  
Faded for home May of ‘54  
Doors open like arms, my love  
Painless with a great closeness  
To Capa, to Capa Capa dark after nothing, re-united with his leg   
And with you Taro, oh, oh, oh  
Taro, oh, oh, oh”  
Spock could feel the emotions he had kept down, boiling up to his surface. He could never sing the next part without choking up, he knew that. He had neglected to think about that before he had started the song. The emotion that swelled inside him as he took a breath-

 

“Do not spray into eyes   
I have sprayed you into my eyes”  
It visibly shocked Jim, as he and the group watched Spock double over the guitar and heard his voice crack. It was like the room had taken an audible gasp, and was now holding his breath. Spock tossed his head back, and resumed playing, the strings played much louder than before. 

“Hey Taro!” Uhura and Spock said.

 

They vocalized until the end, the strings played softer now. The group watching was swaying slightly, entranced by the performance.  
Their voices faded into the white noise of the room with the death of the song.  
The room started breathing again when Spock set the guitar down.   
Spock did not meet Jim’s eyes, instead focused on Chekov. Bones apparently was too, as he exclaimed, “Kid, are you crying??”  
Indeed the Ensign’s eyes were full of tears, some falling down his pale cheeks. Uhura, as if she were snapping out of a trance, walked two short steps and embraced the young officer.  
“Yeah,” She said with a bit of humor in her voice, “I was like that when I heard it the first time too.”  
“It vas so touching!!” The ensign cried, tossing his head down into Uhura’s shoulder.  
Spock felt a hand on his shoulder pulling him from the scene before him. Jim was by his side, his warmth practically radiating from him.  
“That was… beautiful.” Jim couldn’t find anything else to say.

While everyone had thoroughly enjoyed Spock’s song, it was hard to get the mood up again. Hours had passed and finally Spock decided to retire. Jim perked up and offered to go with Spock, which surprised everyone in the room.  
“Jim, are you sick? You are usually the last to leave,” Bones says, looking up from his slurred but deep conversation with Chekov.  
Jim smiled his usual dazzling smile and Spock almost bit his tongue. There was the emotion again, but different this time. While he was singing it felt like a head cold, but here it felt like a flower blossoming in his stomach. An illogical comparison that Spock tried to ignore the truth of. 

 

They walked in silence, an unusual tension in the air.  
Before Spock could retreat to his room, Jim took in a breath that made Spock stop. He moved between Spock’s door and Spock. Spock could tell there was something heavy on the captain’s mind.  
Jim opened his mouth twice, before finally asking: “Why music? Why not painting or pottery? Surely pottery would have a useful output that would make it seem logical.”  
Spock looked at the corner of his doorframe behind the blond’s head.  
He thought for a long time.  
“Music is easiest… because it is something that can be hidden. Art, ceramics, and the like, they leave evidence. If practiced correctly and devoid of abnormal instruments and sheet music, music can be completely hidden from everyone.” He dared himself to say the next sentence. “No matter how strong the feelings can be.” Spock met Jim’s eyes and felt a thrill go down his spine.

Spock pushed past Jim into his room.  
“Goodnight Spock,” Jim said, turning to leave.  
Again, emotion.  
“Captain?”  
“Jim,” he said, turning back.  
“Jim. I am aware of the time but-”  
“Can I come in? Play a game of chess maybe? Talk?” Spock could hear the vulnerability in the strong voice.  
“Yes. That is what I was going to ask.”  
Jim proceeded into Spock’s room. He stretched and smiled before saying, “I’m glad. I wasn’t actually tired yet.” He paused for a moment.  
“May I ask a question now?” Jim asked, sitting down on one side of Spock’s chess table as he always did when he went into Spock’s room.  
“Of course,” Spock said, sitting opposite.

“Will you sing for me again?”  
Silence. One, two, three beats.

His voice was soft but still felt too loud in his ears.  
"Of course, Jim."

**Author's Note:**

> fyi thats Jim sneakily asking Spock if he will share his emotions with him......  
> ...YALL KNEW HE WAS GONNA SAY YES


End file.
